Go Back
Thin slices of Swedish gravlax (cured salmon) with fresh dill and lemon, served with mustard–dill sauce on rye bread.
Erik Lundström

Classic homemade gravlax

Gravlax is a classic Scandinavian cured salmon—fresh fillet rubbed with salt, sugar, and dill—then rested until silky, lightly seasoned, and sliceable paper-thin. Serve with mustard–dill sauce and use it everywhere: canapés, brunch boards, salads, eggs, potato dishes, blinis, or elegant appetizers.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Curing/resting time 2 days
Total Time 2 days 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast / Brunch
Cuisine: Finnish, Nordic, Swedish
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 kg (2.2 lbs) center-cut salmon skin-on, pin-boned
  • 30 gr (2 tbsp) coarse sea salt
  • 30 gr (2 tbsp) sugar white or light-brown
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 40-50 gr (2 bunches) fresh dill roughly chopped
Optional ingredients
  • 1-2 shots whisky, vodka, aquavit or gin
  • 1 tbsp lemon zest

Method
 

  1. Prepare the cure: Crush peppercorns and combine with kosher salt and brown sugar.
  2. Check the salmon: Remove any pin bones with tweezers. Pat the fish dry.
  3. Season with alcohol: Place the salmon skin‑side down on parchment; drizzle aquavit (or your chosen spirit) over the flesh and rub it in.
  4. Apply cure and herbs: Spread the salt‑sugar mixture evenly over the flesh and top generously with chopped dill.
  5. Wrap and weight: Wrap the salmon tightly in plastic, place it in a dish and lay a cutting board or plate on top, weighed down with cans or jars. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
  6. Flip and baste: After 12 hours, unwrap the salmon, baste it with the accumulated juices, flip it over, rewrap and refrigerate for another 12 hours. Repeat once more; total curing time is ~36 hours.
  7. Finish and slice: Unwrap, gently scrape off excess cure and dill, pat dry and slice very thinly at an angle. Use a long, sharp knife for the cleanest slices.

Notes

Food safety considerations

Curing preserves fish by drawing out moisture, but gravlax remains raw. Fresh fish can harbour parasites (such as Anisakis worms) or bacteria like Clostridium botulinum. Raw fish should be frozen to −20 °C (−4 °F) for at least 24 hours (or −35 °C/−31 °F for 15 hours) to kill parasites. Always use sushi‑grade or previously frozen fish, keep curing salmon refrigerated, and consume gravlax within 3 days or freeze slices for longer storage.